The Boy

The Boy Who Challenged the Enemy of Islam

There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions; thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims.

One day a small boy, who´s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions. The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, ´I will accept your challenge´. The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, ´A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!´ But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah´s
help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.

The entire city gathered around a small hill where open addresses were usually made. The Kaffir climbed to the top, and in aloud voice asked his first question.´What is your God doing right now?´

The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question. The man says ´What? You want me to come down?´
The boy says, ´Yes. I need to reply, right?´

The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up. This small child´s reply was ´Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kaffir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!´ The crowd cheered and screamed ´Takbir´....´Allah-hu-akbar!!!´

The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question. ´What existed before your God?´ The small child thought and thought. Then he asked the man to count backwards. ´Count from 10 backwards.´
The man counted...´10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0´
The boy asked, ´What comes before 0?” The man said, ´I don´t know...nothing.´ The boy said: ´Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is Eternal and Absolute.´ The crowd cheered again....´Takbir!´....´Allah-hu-akbar!!!!´

The man, now completely frustrated asked his final question. ´In which direction is your Allah facing?´ The boy thought and thought. He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him to light it. The man did so and remarked, ´What is this supposed to prove?´ The young boy asked, ´To which direction is the light from the candle spreading?´ The man responded, ´It is spreading in all directions.´ The boy: ´You have answered your own question. Allah´s noor spreads in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.´ The crowd cheered again....´Takbir!´....´Allah-hu-akbar!!!´

The man was so impressed and moved by the boy´s intelligence that he embraced Islam and became a mureed (student) of the young boy. So ended the debate. You may be wondering who was the young boy? The young boy was one of the leading scholar of Islamic jurisprudence, a Faqeeh, who is known to posterity by the name Imam Abu Haneefa (May Allah bless him and sanctify his secrets). Remember the examples that we have in the lives of the great Awliya in order to find the truth and the guidance that Allah has blessed His servants with.